by Lisa Lace
Before I could lift myself off the ground, Lord Silas moved to me and stomped on my leg. I threw my head back when I heard the sickening crunch, howling in pain as white-hot heat shot up and down my mangled limb. Tears fell from my eyes. I glanced over my shoulder through clouded vision, hoping for someone to help me. Between the gaps of Lord Silas’ legs, I could see Axl busy warding off a Makroid horde. I was on my own.
I swung out my elbows and started to crawl toward the pillar, but the tyrant seized my ankles and flipped me over. Stepping on my leg again, he tugged at the handle of his cane and revealed a long, glinting rapier. He swung back the blade, eyes appearing red with manic bloodlust.
Every muscle in my body became tense. Staring down the tip of the thin silver blade put my life into perspective. For a single moment, all the pain in my body stopped.
I heard a cry from behind me. “No!”
As Lord Silas lowered his rapier, Akuza leaped in front of me, and the blade pierced his stomach.
Time is supposed to slow down in the face of death. The changes in Lord Silas’ expression came like a series of pictures. First I saw anger, which turned into disbelief, and finally despair. As he stared at his dying son’s body, I pulled myself to my feet and limped towards the pillar.
Dragging one leg behind me, I snatched up the pillar and crawled up the pedestal steps. I thought I could make it. When I reached the last step, the sides of the pyramid split open. I placed the pillar in the center of the pyramid and stumbled back down.
The pyramid swallowed the pillar, and the temple walls began to tremble. One by one, the fires on the torches went out. The bedlam halted as the remaining Urwanians and Makroid looked around and started to panic. People started rushing to the only exit.
“Christine!” Axl lifted me off the ground. I clung to his neck and bounced in his arms as he dodged the chunks of sand and rock falling from the crumbling ceiling. He only had to make a final leap over a pile of Makroid corpses before bolting up a winding stairwell. The last thing I saw was the dumbfounded face of Lord Silas vanishing behind the cascading rubble.
Axl carried me out of the temple passageway, where we caught up with the rest of the Urwanians. Fleeing residents and prisoners of the Royal Bubble joined us. Together, we watched as the dome imploded, bathed in sparks and orange flames. In less than sixty seconds, a sinkhole consumed the fragments of the royal city.
As the Makroid began to weep for their lost homes, something happened that no one had seen for centuries. Above the wreckage, the skies began to clear. Sunlight shone through the clouds.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
AXL, ONE MONTH LATER
“Three, two, one...and pull!”
Securing my grip on the thick braided rope, I locked my feet on the ground and tugged with all my strength. Using the combined force of five Urwanians and Makroid, the utility pole slowly rose off the ground. A separate group near the base formed a ring around the pole and screwed it into the foundation.
“Great work, everyone. That was the last thing we needed to do today. Come back tomorrow – same time, same place.”
I lowered the brim of my hard hat and nodded at the project manager. The Makroid slightly lifted his head before lowering his eyes back onto the clipboard. As the crew members treated themselves to a drink of water and descended into meaningless chatter, I took a step back and looked at what we had accomplished together.
It would take decades for the Makroid planet to get back on its feet. We had only been working for three and a half weeks, but we had done a good job considering everything that had happened. After the destruction of the royal city of Makroi, the remnants of the fallen dictatorial power scattered and a new structure was starting to arise.
For the first time in eight centuries, the citizens were going to have elections for the ruling party and the heads of a new government. Empress Angkora and the leaders of other planets had volunteered time, money and people to help rebuild Makroid communities. Magnum had agreed to help with the project, and Christine was part of the package.
In less than a month, we filled the sinkhole and paved it with tons of concrete. No one could save the ramshackle mud huts in the village. Its residents relocated to temporary quarters as construction crews built sturdy and affordable housing in the old locations. Another job was clearing the trash and rubble off the streets. Environmental teams replenished vegetation with mature trees when possible. Otherwise, they used containers of seeds that were flown in from other planets. In this district alone, we had managed to establish a new hospital, market, and a four-story schoolhouse.
“Axl!”
I could recognize the sound of Christine’s voice without looking at her. Leaning against her crutch, she hobbled toward me with her hard hat in one hand. The door of the portable toilet swung open behind her. I couldn’t read the expression on her face, but it concerned me.
“Is something the matter?”
“That depends. I don’t know.” Christine cradled the hard hat to her chest.
“What is it?”
Licking her lips, she handed over her hat. Inside the shell was a small rectangular tablet resting on a piece of cloth. My body went numb. I leaned in closer, staring at the glowing green indicator. My eyes started to tear up.
“Is that a pregnancy test?” I gasped, my chest flooding with warmth. “I hear they’re not always accurate. And I’m from another planet.”
Christine reached into her jacket pocket and tossed a clear bag at me. It contained six additional positive pregnancy tests. She cleared her throat. “Do you have anything else to say?”
I threw the tests aside and wrapped my arms around her. As Christine’s stiff body softened in my grasp, I pressed my lips against her. She kissed me back tenderly, her lips moving with mine in a perfect rhythm.
The gravity of the situation started to weigh down on me, and I stepped back. “We have our appointment for the annulment next week.” I took a deep breath, bracing myself for what was to come. “Can we raise a child as single parents?”
Christine slipped her free arm around my waist, pulling me back to her. “I don’t think we can. But we don’t have to,” she whispered, the blue jewels in her eyes staring at me intensely. “I mean, I am your airi, after all.” She kissed me on the cheek before pulling away from me. “We’re going to be late if we don’t leave for Urwan right away. Aunt Meredith hates spaceports and she hates waiting. We’ve got a lot of hate on our hands.”
“Relax. They dismissed us twenty minutes early. I’m glad that you’re talking to your aunt again.”
“Me too. We still need to work through a lot of trust issues, but she’s getting on a spaceship for the first time in her life. That’s a big step for her! Now, come on, move that cute butt of yours!”
“I’m right behind you.”
As Christine dragged me toward the spaceship, a flock of squawking lomas birds glided across the sky, bound for the setting sun.
Roar of the Alpha
Chapter One
Sonya stood in front of the doctor's desk, her fingernails digging into the dark wood. "This is unacceptable, Doctor Phillips. There has to be something else you can do."
"Your father and I have been friends since we were boys. If there was anything else I could do, I would have done it. He's my Alpha too." The older man shook his head, his eyes filled with a terrible sadness.
She wouldn't cry. She couldn't.
"Mark, please. Try something else. We're not ready for this."
"You need to get ready." Dr. Phillips looked from Sonya to her brother, who sat quietly behind her.
"No. Cade isn't capable of stepping up to take my father's place." Sonya crossed her arms over her chest. The days of fighting for the Alpha position had yet to pass, but due to the level of peace and prosperity her father had brought to the North American Brown Bears, no one was willing to overthrow him. He was benevolent, kind, good and so damn strong.
"I'm not my father and I'm not interested i
n leading anyone. Fuck you guys for bringing it up again," Cade mumbled behind her. She turned and pinned him with a glare. His long shaggy brown hair covered his eyes and she almost felt sorry for him. He was five years younger than her and still acted like a teenage boy.
"No one brought up anything. Go sit with dad and leave me to deal with everything, like you always do. Fucking useless," she growled softly as he got up and scurried off. Anger burned through her at the situation and even more so at her helplessness to do anything about it. She whipped around to Mark and he gasped in fear.
"Sonya. Please. I have done everything I can and I'll keep searching, but Victor has a rare disease that we've never seen. None of the treatments that I've given him over the last few months has even dented his illness. In fact, he's only gotten worse with everything I've tried."
"I don't give a shit, Mark. Try something else." Her voice rose as she slammed her fist on the desk before her. She wasn't concerned with the indentation left on the desk.
"Your father commanded me to stop treatments. If you disagree with his decision then you can talk to him, but you'd better tread lightly. His days are numbered."
Sonya was ashamed of the hot tears dripping down her face. She was a mix of emotions; she felt angry, fueled by the incredible fear of losing her father. He was her closest companion and her only friend.
She had intentionally shut out everyone that she could have had a relationship with in order to protect her Alpha and keep stability in the pack. Joining with another male would have given him the wrong impression. Someone might end up thinking that he could take ownership of the Brown Bears.
She wasn't willing to entrust that place to anyone but her father.
"He can't die. What will we do?" She looked up, her thoughts leaving her confused as pain crossed her face.
"Another Alpha will rise, Sonya. Your brother Cade needs to start preparing. We will be looking to him."
"He's not ready. He will never be ready."
"Then you need to think about mating or challenging the course of history, my dear." Mark stood up and walked around the desk, pulling Sonya into a tight hug.
"What do you mean?" She pressed her cheek to his shoulder. She enjoyed the warmth of his embrace though she would never tell him. He was like family, almost an uncle to her. Other than herself, her father trusted Mark the most.
He moved back and took a firm grip of her shoulders. "You can step up and challenge your father, Sonya. He will surrender to you, and you can become our leader."
Sonya snorted. "Is that a joke? Women are not Alpha's. They never have been."
"I just said that we would have to challenge tradition and break the bounds of history, but it's been done in other clans. A red fox clan in England just saw their first female Alpha."
"No. I can't do that, Mark. It's not at all my style."
"It's very much your style. Your father's aggression and leadership bleed through to you. You are Alpha material more than any of our males. You need to consider the possibility."
"There have to be other choices than Cade stepping up or me becoming the Alpha. Those aren't realistic possibilities." Sonya moved back, running her fingers through her hair as she paced in front of their clan's physician.
"The only other option is to mate with an Alpha male, Sonya." He crossed his arms over his large chest. His salt and pepper hair made him attractive, but Mark was no more Alpha material than her brother was.
"I don't want to discuss this any longer. I'm going to sit with my father." She walked to the door before his voice stopped her.
"Don't doubt that I wouldn't give my life for Victor's. I would."
She nodded, her heart breaking for the millionth time that day. "I would as well."
"I don't think you understand the opportunity before you, baby." Sonya's father reached out and touched her hands as she sat beside his bed. His skin was pale and almost translucent. Something was eating him from the inside out and they were powerless to stop the parasite.
"Opportunity doesn't feel like this." She rubbed his hand and let out a long breath. "I want to massacre a bunch of men and burn down the whole fucking city. I'm so angry I could do anything right now."
"It's not anger you're feeling, but grief." He smiled and closed his eyes. "I know you don't know this now, but you're going to bring the Brown Bears into a new era. They will be stronger for your leadership, Sonya."
"I'm not stepping up as Alpha, dad. It's not right."
"I agree, but you will mate with the right man. I know you well enough. You will seek him out. Find him and bring him to lead our people to greatness." Her father opened his eyes. "Protect our clan. Fight off everyone not willing to become a great leader. Look deep into each man's heart, Sonya. Most men are not what they appear to be on the surface. Test each one until you find someone worthy."
"Who, dad? You talk as if you already know who's going to help us."
"There is a new Alpha in the Black Bear clan. I've heard about him and I think there is something to be explored there."
"How so?" She moved to the edge of her seat, her brother snoring softly behind her on the couch.
"He's defeated the previous Alpha of the Blacks, who was a complete tyrant. This new man must be fearless." Her father coughed softly, blood coating his lips.
"I don't want us to be taken over by an outsider, Dad." She stood and released his hand, moving to grab a cloth rag. Sitting beside him on the bed, she wiped softly at his mouth. She was consumed by worry. She had come from a long day at the office. Combined with her father's condition, that left her completely exhausted.
"He's going to take us over, Sonya. You need to prepare, my sweet girl."
"I'm not sweet at all."
"You are to me." He smiled and coughed again, blood pooling around his mouth and pouring out onto his chin.
"Fuck," she whispered and hit the button on his bed. The hospital was a human facility, but Mark was the lead physician, so he made sure to keep all shifter records and dealings concealed. The buzzer went off and Sonya knew that a nurse would be there soon to help.
"Did you hear me?" Her father reached out and squeezed her hand, his brown eyes showing little sign of life.
"I did. This new Alpha is coming. I don't think you're right, Dad. He's a black bear. He's not going to seek to combine our clans. That didn't work a hundred years ago and it's not going to work today. Besides, I wouldn't let that happen." She put her hand on his and rubbed softly.
"He's not going to take over the clan, Sonya. He's going to take over our business. Varetec." He swallowed and groaned.
Inside, this news triggered a rush of emotion in Sonya, but she fought hard to control her facial expression. She didn't want to upset her father anymore.
No one was taking over their clan or her father's company while she was still there. It wasn't a possibility.
She would sell her soul to the devil himself to keep everything her father had worked so hard for in her family.
"Rest, Dad. Nothing is going to happen to us."
"Let it happen, baby. Let it happen." He released his hold on her as his hand fell limply beside him. The monitors began to scream and she stood up, the heart monitor showing that he was flat-lining.
"No!" She ran to the hall and screamed for help. Mark was running toward her at a speed that could be considered unnatural. She moved back as he plowed into the room. Several nurses who had become familiar faces followed.
"Sonya, take Cade and get out of here. We'll bring him back, but you both need to leave." She looked at him, tears blurring her vision. Her brother looked up from the couch and glanced at the commotion around him.
"What the fuck is happening?" he mumbled and stood up.
"Come on. They need to help Dad. Come with me." She reached for him. Cade took her hand and walked out of the room with her. Sonya closed the door and paused for a minute.
What would they do without her father to guide them? Her mother had been taken from them at a
young age. Her father was all she had left. She pressed her hands to her knees and let out a painful sound of resignation.
Her brother's hand rubbed her back softly. Oh yes, she also had a brother. They weren't close, but that was her fault.
"He's going to be okay," Cade spoke softly, his childish slang tucked away and a man's voice filling her ears. She glanced up at him as tears dripped onto her cheeks.
"I'm scared," she whispered. Her world was changing rapidly.
"No. You don't get to do that." Cade pulled her up and wrapped her in a hug.
She hadn't remembered being close to him since he was a boy and needed a mother figure in his life. It had been her who cleaned him up and whooped his butt when necessary. Her father depended on her to raise him and she had, but over the years it was easier to let him go, as he turned out to be nothing like the man they needed him to be.
She distanced herself to keep her disappointment at bay.
"I can't help it, Cade. Dad isn't going to make it much longer and I'm not able to take his place. I'm a woman. You have to search your heart to see if there is…" He cut her off.
"No. I'm not taking his place, Sonya. This isn't my life, nor one I want to pick up off someone else. You lead or let's just get the hell out of here when Dad's gone. Someone else will pick up the pack and it will be fine."
"And if it isn't?"
"Not our problem." He shrugged and released her, moving back and giving the most apathetic look she had ever seen. How could someone with so much potential waste it due to lack of care or concern? Had everything they built as a family meant nothing to him? Anger burned her and she gave him a tight smile.
"Good to see you again. Take care." She turned and walked down the hall toward the elevators. She needed to go back to the office for a few hours and Mark would call her as soon as he knew something. If she stayed with her brother much longer, she was going to blow a gasket. The little fucker had no clue. He was twenty-eight years old and still acted like he was ten.
